Students, faculty and staff will attend the 4:45 p.m. show at the Evanston movie theater, and a dinner discussion afterward will feature two esteemed SESP faculty members with a particular research interest in education reform: professors Carol Lee and James Rosenbaum. The discussion will be in Fiske Hall, Room 217.
The movie, which was directed by the filmmaker who directed An Inconvenient Truth, examines education reform with a heavy focus how the charter school movement can -- from the director's perspective -- address current problems in today's education system. The official web site for the movie is at http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/.
Undergraduate adviser Mark Hoffman, who is organizing the event, describes it as "a programmatic opportunity to bring students and faculty together." He finds Waiting for Superman "a perfect film for this, given the film's focus on charter schools and because the film has been receiving much attention from the press."
Two undergraduate classes, Rosenbaum's Educational Policy class (SOC POL 307) and Lee's Race and Education Class (SESP 351), are incorporating the film into their classes. "Having Jim and Carol serve as commentators after the film will provide the students with an opportunity to learn from the faculty about their perception on the film and how it does, or does not, accurately portray the issues facing American public education today," says Hoffman.
All SESP graduate and undergraduate students are invited to attend, along with all faculty and staff members. Tickets are available for $5.50, and SESP community members are being asked to complete a survey to indicate if they are attending. Any questions may be addressed to Hoffman at markhoffman@northwestern.edu.